The compact transistor technology that IBM Corp originally unveiled in the 90MHz and 100MHz PowerPC 601+ is being applied to other PowerPC chips. At the Hot Chips conference last month at Stanford University, California, the company said a 166MHz 603e will begin sampling next quarter and production quantities will ship in the first quarter of 1996. SPECint is estimated at 165. If the pattern of development follows that of the 601, then the new, faster 603e should not only be physically smaller than today’s chip, it is also likely to draw less power, presaging a generation of faster portable computers, with better battery life. The firm made no mention of any upgraded version of the 604, however, the existence of the ‘604e’, again using the more compact transistor technology, appears to be a very badly kept secret. MacWeek reports that the new version will debut at 150MHz, but expect to see it to go faster in future iterations.
